A New Day
by Droper
Summary: One of my takes on Dick Grayson becoming Nightwing, and how this affects the Titans and a few of those he left in Gotham. AU, rated for some language, alcohol, mild-violence, and tone of the story. I listed 'Young Justice' Because the timelines are similar, and 'Batman' to make the story easier to find. This is my first posting, any and all advice, critique, comments welcomed.
1. Ch1 A Cold Start

**A New Day**

**AN: I wrote this for a 'Creative Writing' assignment that I had last year and thought I'd post it on here. It's a (very basic; none too descriptive) look at how Dick could have become Nightwing in my version of the DC Universe. Meaning that this is an AU. I plan on posting more of my works on here, some may be part of this "Earth", and others set on different Earths. This is just to get my feet wet, (this is my first posted story, though I am far from new to this site). So please, let me know what you think.**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own DC comics or its characters this is a fictional/non-canon story with some canon similarities. All I claim to own is the central plot of this story, the base-plot originating from mainstream comics. This was made for entertainment and educational purposes only. I do not make any profit from this. With that being said, please enjoy my short story.

Ch.1 A Cold Start

**|JUMP CITY, CALIFORNIA**

**|June 23, 21:41 ****UTC** | **2011**

The air is brisk, the temperature dropping. There's not much time left, as a group of vigilantes chase after the cause of the weather anomalies occurring in the otherwise scorching city. A team of young heroes known as-

The **Teen Titans!**

The Titans are in chase after** Icicle Jr.**, the son of **Icicle Sr.** Both of which use ice based attacks on the populous.

"Ha-HA! Face it losers, you're not gonna catch me. Not when you're falling down, all around yourselves!" taunted Icicle Jr. as he froze the earth beneath the Titans' feet with a flick of his wrist.

Icicle Jr. has spiky white hair, blue eyes and skin of a light blue color. He currently wore black track pants and a gray muscle shirt that he more than likely stole. He may deny caring for his father, but ultimately most of the crimes he's committed were aimed to impress him. An aspect of his that could easily be exploited. He is also psychotic and cares very little about other people's well-being, so even the blind could tell his parentage.

"Oh now you're gonna-"

**-CRRRRRSSHH-**

"Aaahh! Damn it, he froze the ground!" wailed the green changeling known as **Beast Boy**, as he slipped and slammed his face into the frozen ground.

Beast Boy is a young pre-teen with green skin, eyes and hair; all of different shades. He has patches of fur and scales on different parts of his body, which he shaves and peels respectively (to feel more "normal"). He wears a purple and black bodysuit that used to have a matching mask. After an agreement amongst the other Titans, it was decided that he didn't need the mask ("You're green. You don't have much chance of hiding your identity with a mask.") His suit is the same one used during his run with the **Doom Patrol**; so as to commemorate his time with them.

"Way to point out the obvious 'BB'." the half man half machine** Cybor****g**, sarcastically replied. He too was having a hard time trying to keep his bulky body balanced on the slippery surface.

Cyborg is a regular African-American man. He just needs large prosthetics that replace most of his body and cover the majority of what remains, to survive. All you could really see of his normal body though, was part of his arms, part of his legs, and most of the right side of his face. The rest was all machine and high-tech gadgetry (which his father made (and he himself later improved or "upgraded"))

"HA! I'm just 'too cool' for you, losers!" Icicle gloated further as he ran deeper into the forest.

"We don't have time for this." stated the monotone half-demon empath** Raven**.

Raven has light gray skin, and violet-blue eyes. Along with shoulder length purple-black bobcut-styled hair; and a mystical chakra stone in the middle of her forehead. She wore a black leotard under a dark purple cloak that could cover her entire body when closed, kept together by a circular clasp at her neckline. She also wears a belt made up of medium-sized rings around her waist.

"I've got'em. Hold still guys." responded the alien princess of Tamaran, **Starfire**, as she melted away the ice with her 'star-bolts'.

Starfire has orange skin and glowing green eyes. Her curly, fiery red hair reached all the way to her feet. She wore dark-purple and light-gray body armor with matching gauntlets and knee-high combat boots. She, along with the other girls, was floating a bit above the ground.

"Hey, it's not like we can fly like you!" retorted the miffed Beast Boy.

"You can turn into a bird can't you." Raven stated more than asked.

"Guys" tried **Wonder Girl**, an Amazon from Themyscira.

Wonder Girl wore a red sleeveless one piece suit that covered her legs and zipped up at the back. A yellow **Wonder Woman** emblem that encircled her waistline was imprinted onto the suit. She also wore silver star earrings, black mid-calf high boots, along with her own silver "bulletproof" gauntlets and lasso of truth that the 'Female Wonders' were known for.

"Yeah, but a cheetah's faster. And besides, how was I s'posed ta know he was gonna freeze the ground?!" countered Beast Boy.

"Guys!"

"If you had used your brain and thought about what he said before-hand, you wouldn't have fallen like an imbecile."

"Hey!"

"GUYS! We need to focus. If we're gonna be a good team, we're gonna need to work together better."

Cyborg nodded his head and responded, "Wonder Girl's right. We need to take this seriously; people's lives are at stake. It's up to us to get the temperature back to normal. We need to catch up to Icicle Jr."

Sigh, "No need. If I know our leader-

He's already gotten the punk."

**|JUMP CITY, CALIFORNIA**

**|OUTSKIRTS 21:45 UTC**

Icicle ran out of the forest he was just being chased in and, thinking he had lost his pursuers, headed straight for his base: the old gas station at the edge of town. Unbeknownst to him, the leader of the Titans reached the station in record time. He quickly breached one of the frozen shut windows with a swift kick. Rushing to the basement/meat-locker, he took the steps three at a time.

When he arrived at the entrance he blitzed through, knocking Icicle Jr. to the ground. And rushed over and placed his foot on his chest.

"Wha-! How did you find me?!" the flabbergasted ice-man questioned.

"Wasn't hard, you left a long trail of tears all the way here. Puddles really." he mocked.

"Rrrahhh!"

Icicle shoved him off and followed it up with a small barrage of ice shards. But the lone Titan knew all too well that it was coming, and simply turned away his shoulder as the shards collided with the wall behind him.

"You weren't even with the others!" yelled Icicle as he shot off another round of shards at his feet.

The Titan leader simply jumped over them and retorted, "Didn't need to be, they informed me while I was out of town." Another shard throw, dodged. "I finished work there and caught up to your tear trail." Dodge. "Seriously, this is getting old fast." Dodge. "And I know fast."

"Shut Up! Rrrrraaahhh!" Icicle yells out as he creates an ice-ball the size of a bowling ball.

"Please." The Titan rolled his eyes as he sped over and knocked Icicle's feet out from under him.

"Oof!" Icicle hits the floor hard, "Aaahh-!" and the ice-ball hits him square in the face.

"Told'ya I was fast." the yellow speedster quipped to the now unconscious human 'ice-cube'.

**Kid Flash** had spiky red hair, freckles and green eyes. He had a lean yet slightly muscular build. His suit was yellow with red pants, red gloves, and yellow shoes, with a red lightning bolt within a white circle on his chest. His suit has been updated and slightly modified over the years, appending shoulder pads and body protectors due to his often use as a human cannonball. Being the best-friend to a certain former boy-wonder had many perks. One of them being, having access to 'exclusive' Wayne-Tech.

"Now, to reverse the damage that you've caused," he said. He then sped over to the massive machinery at the center of the room. "No way he got this kind of tech on his own." He tries to bypass the security by inputting every possible code with his fast fingers. "Damn it!" After taking too many wrong answers the system locks him out. "Ugh, if only-"

"Hey!" Kid Flash looks back to see the revived Icicle Jr. with a trigger in his hand.

"Dodge this."

Everything happens in slow motion.

Icicle Jr pulls the trigger. The screen on the giant freeze-ray flashes red, and the speakers blare out: 'Self-Destruct sequence, activated'.

Kid Flash taps into the speed force and speeds over to Icicle Jr. He swiftly grabs him and runs them through the open freezer door, and slams it behind them just as the explosives detonate.

**-BOOM-**

The steel door had been blown off of its hinges and accelerated them up the stairs. With Kid Flash's quick thinking, and years of going through similar situations, he was able to maneuver them through the nearest window. Which happened to be the same one facing the stairway that he had entered through.

"Uuugghh," he groaned as he looked back to the rubble of the now destroyed store. He then checked on Icicle Jr. and sighed in relief when he confirmed that he had only lost consciousness again, nothing fatal.

Kid Flash then began to stand up, "Well... Good news is: I got Icicle Jr. before he could cause any more harm." He grunts, popping his sore back, "Bad news... I wasn't able to restore the weather back to normal." He then brings down his heat/infrared-vision goggles, and checks the status of the weather. "But there's more good news, the temperature seems to have stabilized. Heh, maybe Beast Boy turned into a giant dragon and started breathing fire into the sky. Heh heh heh... No, I can't be childish. I'm leader now. I need to act more responsible. I need to keep a straight head and figure out how to bring the temp. back up. I need to... Ugh, stop talking to myself."

He walks over to Icicle and picks him up in a fireman's carry.

"Alright, quick drop-off at Belle Reve. Then I need to get back to my team at 'The Tower'... Huh, but it's not _my_ team, is it?

**-Woosh-**

**|TERREBONNE PARISH, LOUISIANA**

**|BELLE REVE PENITENTIARY 23:57 UTC**

Since Icicle had broken out of Belle Reve, they accepted him back readily. And when Kid Flash warned him that he better fess up on how to fix the weather in Jump. Icicle simply brushed him off with a: whatever 'Flash-Boy'.

"It's Kid Flash! You'd think after all these years they'd at least get it right."

The disgruntled Kid Flash sped off, back to his friends, at their home...

"Kid Flash to Cyborg, just dropped off Icicle Jr. at Belle Reve, I should be there before the '10 O'clock News'."

"Good work KF, and sorry again for interrupting-"

"Don't worry about it Cy, I'll be there soon. It's a little late to properly catch up, so how 'bout we go out for some pizza tomorrow?"

"Hell Yeah!"

"Hey there BB."

"Alright sounds like a plan, see you soon boos-man."

"This doesn't feel right at all."

The teen speedster was gone in a flash heading back to his friends.

**|JUMP CITY, CALIFORNIA**

**|TITAN ISLAND 22:00 UTC**

"Ah, Titans Tower. It's good to be home." said Beast Boy with a grin. Him and the other Titans arrived at their base, on which has been known to be called Titan Island (Formerly Alcatraz Island *see '**A jump for a city**'). The young heroes entered their base through the front doors. Because the tower was relatively new, the security system had yet to be updated. There were currently only two ways to enter the tower without setting off the defense system. If someone was already in the tower, they could allow those outside entrance. But in the case that the tower was vacant, like it is now, the only other way to get in, was for Cyborg to sync his system to the Tower's security grid.

After the mechanical-man opened the doors, a yellow and red blur sped past them and headed up to the Com/Living-Room. Each Titan had their own way of reaching the top of the tower. Kid Flashes, was a ramp that inclined out from the floor whenever the doors opened. Wonder Girl and Starfire flew up, Beast Boy turned into a hawk and joined them, while Raven created a small portal for herself and Cyborg to enter, and exit out up top.

Cyborg walked over to the massive computer after he reappeared and plugged himself in, uploading their encounter with Icicle Jr. that was recorded by his red cybernetic eye.

"Man, that was just embarrassing. I sure hope you got some good news, 'cus we got ziltch on our end," Cyborg said to Kid Flash.

"I managed to send Icicle back to Belle Reve, but he destroyed his 'Weather-Machine' before I could reverse what he did. Though I did manage to get a good look at it before it brought the whole place down," he replied.

"He blew up a building?!" asked the bewildered changeling, who had by this point changed back to his human form.

"Don't worry B.B., it was just us in there. And the place was falling apart anyway, been abandoned for years. What was really bothering me, was the scale of the thing. It was huge, and the security was tight. Looking back on it, I think the trigger was just for show," said KF as he handed over the trigger he had confiscated from Icicle to Cyborg, whom began scanning it with his eye.

"The _**"Deep-Freezer"**_(1) was too high-tech to be controlled by this thing," after receiving a weird look he clarified, "The name was painted on the side of it, I didn't pick it."

"Well you're right; scanners are showing that this 'trigger' couldn't open a garage door. I think it's just a regular R.C.-car controller," confirmed Cyborg.

"He was stalling. He wanted you to look away so you'd have a higher chance of getting caught in the explosion," Wonder Girl input.

That made Beast Boy wonder, "Then what _did _trigger the explosion?"

Kid Flash thought for a moment before answering, "My guess is that it was set to self-destruct if too many wrong codes were entered into it."

This information got all of the Titans to ponder their current situation for a moment. Finally, Cyborg spoke, "No way he got this kind of tech on his own. He has to be working with someone. I mean, this is Icicle _Jr._ we're talking about."

"You're right. I was thinking the same thing. But like you said, this is Icicle Jr.; he's more than likely to be working _for_ someone. Question is, who?"

Another brief silence is held between the Titans as they all think about what type of enemy they could be dealing with.

Kid Flash lets out a frustrated sigh and 'walks' over to the couch, collapsing onto it. He then proceeds to remove his goggles with one hand, and pull back his cowl with the other.

Wonder Girl tells everyone to skip on watching the news for now; that they'll see the recording in the morning over breakfast, and called it an 'early' night. As they head to their respective rooms the two leaders are then left alone in near-silence. The only sounds coming from the low hum of the computer, a soft tapping noise, and the light steps of Wonder Girl as she slowly walked over to her dear friend.

She then sits herself beside him, and takes a moment to examine his current state:

He has his free hand covering his face, while his other lay beside him, clutching his goggles, left foot is tapping on the floor at a steady, yet abnormally fast pace, chest rising and falling as he pulls in and lets out jagged breathes; he's deeply stressed.

She reaches over and grabs his knee, stopping his excessive tapping. He then removes his hand from his face, and acknowledges her for the first time since sitting down.

After looking into her eyes for all of a second, he crosses his arms and stares at the floor. This, combined with his slouched posture and the now rhythmic tapping of his fingers on his forearm, made him look like a little pouting kid who isn't getting his way. Even at the steady age of 17, and the stretched height of 5'11". Nor did it matter that a light 5 O'clock shadow could be seen if one were to take a closer look, like Wonder Girl was now.

"Wally."

Silence.

"Wally look at me."

"Donna, please. I just want to be alone right now."

"No can do 'Mr. Leader'. You're troubled. And as your second in command, it's my duty to share some of that stress with you. You need a clear head if you're gonna lead this team efficiently."

"But that's just it! I don't wanna lead you guys... I can't."

"Can't what? Can't think ahead of our opponents and figure out a way to beat them? Can't lead the charge into battle when the need arises? Can't-"

"I CAN'T REPLACE HIM!"

The tower suddenly had an eerie chill about it. The other occupants stopped what they were doing to strain their ears and listen in on their leaders' no longer private conversation. Every one of the Titans knew who _He_ was. But only the original titans know him as his civilian identity: **Batman**'s first partner, the first **Robin**.

**AN: Please keep in mind that this story was written for an English teacher that knew little to nothing about these characters. Any future stories from me should be a lot better than this. Also the site editor was a bit tricky and my files didn't transfer properly.**


	2. Ch2 Measuring Up

**Disclaimer: Still don't own the Teen Titans.**

Ch.2 Measuring up

There were few who didn't know who Robin was. He was an international icon, the Earth's first known 'sidekick'. But to the superhero community, he was much more than that. Robin the boy wonder... was a true hero in his own right. Batman and Robin are Partners in crime-fighting. Or, at least they _were_.

Not many people know Robin's secret identity, but those who do, know that:

**Richard John 'Dick' Grayson-Wayne** and **Bruce Alan Wayne**, have parted ways for reasons far truer than those posted in the **'Gotham Gazette'**(2).

At 16 years old, Dick was ready to start being independent. Now, for some people, this may seem redundant. _"A fifteen year-old kid, wants to go it alone and be his own man? Good luck."_ Well, you would be right to criticize this type of action- **In MOST cases.** But not this one.

Dick Grayson at the almost age of 16 has: earned his high school diploma graduating with honors; become fluent in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Chinese, and American sign language (with his first language being Romani); developed proficient computer, electronic, and mechanical skills. His training by his mentor in just about everything from escapology to criminology, fencing, stealth, disguise, and numerous other combat/non-combat disciplines; has ranked him as one of the most dangerous people on the planet. Having been disciplined in multiple forms and styles of fighting and defensive techniques has had him classified as one of the World's top martial artists. He has also been briefly trained (forcibly) by both the World's top mercenary **Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke the Terminator**, and his superior; the leader of the League of Assassins; **Ra's al Ghul**. And has also been trained since birth, by his parents (until their untimely deaths) to be a great Acrobat, aerialist, and all-around gymnast. Due to his training, his skills are on beyond that of Olympic athletes. And being the only human on Earth to be able to do a quadruple somersault; is seen by his allies as the world's greatest acrobat. On top of that, Dick's parents also left him a trust fund which **Lucius Fox** turned into a small fortune. Although it is not comparable to Bruce Wayne's wealth, it is more than enough to get him started on his own.

Dick Grayson, **Donna Troy**, **Wally West**, **Roy Harpe**r, and **Garth (Gary Aquato)**(3): The original Titans in their civilian identities, Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, **Speedy**, and **Aqualad** respectively.

Back then, things were so much simpler. And to Wally West, right now, he could use some simplicity.

He closes his eyes and releases the breath he didn't know he was holding. He calms himself down and leans forward, placing his elbows on his knees. Opening his eyes, he swallows the lump in his throat and begins to apologize.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled. But you don't know what this is like. All of the pressure; with any mistake I make I could get someone killed, or twenty, or hundreds, or-"

Donna places a hand on Wally's shoulder, "You can't think like that Wally."

He grumbles in irritation.

"You never bothered Dick when he went off to be alone."

* * *

_~Flashback: Titans Tower (3 Years Ago)~_

**|MANHATTAN, NEW YORK**

**|August 2, 20:00 UTC | 2008**

"_Robin," the young Donna called out to the receding form of her leader. He turns part-way around and waits for the question he knows is coming._

"_Do you, wanna talk about it?"_

_He just stands there for a moment. Then finally turns back around, and starts back toward the exit._

"_There's nothing to talk about. I made a mistake. Because of me, all those people got hurt."_

"_Where are you going?"_

"_To apologize... And make it up to them somehow. You can't change the past, but you can always learn from your mistakes. And work to make sure they don't happen again."_

_He's out the door and at the __**New York Downtown Hospital**_(4)_ in minutes. Later that night, the rest of The Titans are in the main room of the tower. They gather together on the couch, as per Robin's request since their founding, to watch the 10 O'clock News._

_Weather he knew it or not Donna could see just how much alike Robin and his mentor were._

_~End Flashback~_

* * *

"That's because Dick wasn't pitying himself over his failure; he was coming up with a way to make it up to the ones he let down, and working on ways to get better. You're just sitting here sulking, when you should be doing the same. You're not a bad leader Wally. You're just having a hard time measuring up to your predecessor. Think about how the new Robin must be feeling. In the people's eyes, Robin is still Robin. And he needs to keep up that façade on a nightly basis."

Wally hadn't thought of it that way, and most of his stress is relieved, turned into pity for the young **Jason Todd**. But then he recalls how Jason can be from their brief first meeting, and that pity quickly deteriorates.

"Hadn't even thought of that. Huh, I certainly don't envy him. He's got some small but large karate shoes to fill."

The small joke is enough for Donna... for now. So she latches onto his arm and pulls him off the couch and toward the kitchen.

"There's the Wally I know. Come on; let's get some ice-cream before bed."

"Remember what he did for those people at the hospital three years ago?"

"Yeah...

* * *

_~Re-Flashback~_

She recalls herself and the rest of the Teen Titans seeing him on the news that night.

_He refused to answer any questions from the media that day. And the only good visual of him was from a camera phone, taken by one of the nurses._

_It showed a young Dick Grayson in his Robin uniform. Back then, it consisted of black Kung Fu shoes, green tights that reached mid-calf, black and yellow utility belt, red Kevlar vest with a yellow 'R' inside a black circle on the left side of his chest over a green short-sleeved skin-tight shirt, black combat gloves, light Kevlar cape with yellow covering the inside and black on the outside. Along with the most important part of the suit; a black, high-tech domino mask that covered a good portion of his face. Lenses covered his eyes, which made them appear to be emissive with no pupils._

_In the video, Robin was cheering up the survivors and the rest of the second floor occupants, along with the medical staff. He had gathered the survivors together in the rec. room, and had given a heartfelt apology. This wasn't caught on camera, but he had informed them later. What was, was what happened next. Robin had asked one of the hospital staff to bring out the guitar from the nurses station he had seen earlier. After tuning the instrument, he began to sing and play an uplifting song that was popular a few years back._

_As the song progressed more and more of the patients there began to change their views on their similar situations. A lot of people changed their views on the 'Caped-Community' as well._

_The video was sent to the nurse's cousin, who just happened to be one of the news reporters outside the hospital. The video was broadcasted to the nightly news. And as the video ended, Robin walked into the room, and apologized to his team for his failure as leader._

'_Robin-'_

'_You should have called us. We're a team for a reason'_

'_The case started in Gotham. He was my responsibility.'_

'_He came to Manhattan, that made him a team priority.'_

'_I'm sorry. I thought I could handle it... I was wrong.'_

'_...Hey. We win some we lose some, it wasn't your fault.'_

'_And anyway, you handled the situation great afterword.'_

'_Yeah man, didn't know you had those pipes.'_

'_In any case, you did good Robin.'_

'_...Thanks.'_

'_You still shoulda called we could've helped.'_

'_Next time there's trouble that I can't handle, I know who to call.'_

'_I'll hold you to that'_

* * *

-Who could forget?"


	3. Ch3 Into The Fire

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the laptop I use to write this stuff.**

Ch.3 Into the fire

**|BLÜDHAVEN, NEW JERSEY**

**|August 15, 21:01 ****UTC**** | 2011**

In **Blüdhaven**, the sister-city to the south of **Gotham**, a young man was perched on the ledge of an apartment complex rooftop. This alone was a daring act, but adding the fact that it was the middle of the night, in this city no less, just made the man seem ludacris... to any outsider, this was very "local" behavior. The man had on a black spandex suit made with a version of the Nomex fire-resistant, triple weave Kevlar material. A blue bird adorned the chest plate that served as his sole form of high-caliber bullet protection, and identification. Over that, he wore a pair of slim black combat boots, black high-tech gloves with metal greaves along the outer side of each with a mini holographic computer built into the left one. The gloves and boots all have hidden compartments, within each compartment are his small projectile weapons, self-dubbed '**Wing-Dings**', among other important gadgets that he may need when out in the field. A black belt-like strap held a pair of black customizable escrima tech-sticks to his right thigh. A mask similar to his old one, but this one of a darker blue color, was held in place over his eyes with spirit gum.

The whole suit was light in weight; made for easy mobility, and electrically insulated. The suit is also light sensitive, darkening when in densely lit area. It is tailored specifically to its owner's unique style of crime-fighting. As such, the suit has fewer body-armor inlays than Batman's, anticipating a decreased need for shock-absorption and an increased capacity for motion. (_"Move more, get hit less"_ as he said)

This man... was Dick Grayson, and he was on his own. After his confrontation with Bruce a few months ago, he had taken the liberty of removing a portion of his funds from his bank account, and using some of it to rent a room at the complex he was currently perched on.

He hadn't been taking the separation well; he missed home, Alfred, Jason. But he couldn't go back. He had quit, on his partnership, on his family, and briefly... on himself. He was no longer Robin. No longer in Batman's shadow. He was his own man now, and he had to live with that decision.

While in the middle of his thoughts on his past choices, a person yelled out in fear. Dick rushed over to the adjacent edge of the building, and looked down into the alley below to see a man being mugged. Dick had been here long enough to know that the crime rate of this city was as high as, if not greater than Gotham. He had also called in enough anonymous tips to know that the local law enforcement, the **Blüdhaven Police Department**, had too much crime for them to handle. That's why he had moved here of all places, he could make a difference here. He could help.

But without the resources that he had while he was still with Batman, there wasn't much he could do. That's why on his 16th birthday, the 8th anniversary of his parents' deaths, he had fallen into a deep depression. He couldn't ask for help from his friends either, not after all that he had put them through over the years. So he was alone, plummeting in a downward spiral, he was weak, and he had turned to the only thing that he knew that would numb the pain. The same thing that he had turned to two years ago... alcohol.

_He had taken the bottle of '__**Jack Daniels**__'(5) whiskey from the evidence room of the Batcave. He was at a low point like was every year at this time. He had heard from Roy that 'Jack Daniels' was a good brand of whiskey, that it didn't take much to get him "hammered", as he put it. He had finished off half the bottle by the time Bruce found him spinning around on the chair of the batcomputer. And he was not pleased. Oddly enough, Dick was coherent enough to put up a good argument/excuse as to why he had good reason to be drinking. He brought up how he was feeling, and how the case that the bottle had been connected to had been closed. He also told him that he had ran numerous scans on the bottle and its contents before even taking a sip. His main argument had been that he wanted to test his tolerance to distilled beverages. And so that he would know the look and taste of whiskey incase anyone tried to get him drunk. But Bruce would have none of it, he benched Robin for a month, and grounded Dick Grayson for two. Dick, the whiskey appearing to still have some effect on him, groggily got up from the chair a little too fast and began to lose his balance. He then made a wisecrack at how it should probably be the other way around, since "Robin was doing all the flying, and Dick was doing all the walking." Bruce didn't like that, and had doubled his time. This got Dick fuming and he grudgingly stumbled up the stairway to the manor, and locked himself in his room. The following morning he had awoken with a throbbing migraine, and a weak chilled body; he was dealing with his first hangover._

_He had eventually apologized to both __**Alfred**__ and Bruce for the underaged-drinking, and the vomit on the fresh cleaned floors. Bruce stayed firm, but showed compassion and understanding by telling Dick the reason why he was taking this so deeply. That it was because he himself had succumbed to the call of alcohol. On the day before he became Batman, he had failed to strike fear into the hearts of Gotham's underworld. He was slowly bleeding out and had downed a whole bottle of hard-liquor. He had been willing to give up, and he would have too, if he hadn't gotten the sign he been waiting for. A large bat crashed through one of the windows of his study, frightening him. His one fear had crashed in. It was then that he realized that he had to make criminals afraid. He would use his fear against them; he would use fear to take back his city._

_But at that moment before, that moment of weakness, and defeat... he didn't want Dick to ever go through that._

_He brought down his punishment to one month of not being Robin, and two weeks of community service; volunteering at the soup kitchen in Old Gotham._

He had Bruce to help him then, but those months ago... he had no one. He had fallen into a dark place that he did not want to come out of. He felt that he deserved all the bad things that had been happening to him. He had downed a six-pack of cheap beer that he got from a convenience store that didn't check for ID. And three-fourths of a bottle of Jack that he swiped from a crook who stole it from that same store. He Was going to return it. But... he found that he couldn't. He ended up taking it all back to his apartment and drowning himself in his sorrows.

If it wasn't for an old friend coming to check up on him, who knows what would have happened to him.

_The red and blue suit, and the 'S' on his chest were a dead giveaway. __**Superman**__, who was even more overwhelming in person, had flown in through the open window. He had expected Dick to be in a bad spot, but not this bad. Sometime during his drunken rambling, he had trashed his room. The neighbors were used to this kind of commotion and paid it no mind. Superman walked over to the troubled youth, and kneeled down to his level._

The conversation that followed along with the ones at his parents' ranch back at **'Smallville', Kansas**, and his **Fortress of Solitude**, would slowly bring Dick out of his stupor (*see '**Numb**').

He would then go on to save** San Francisco**, which would later change its name to** Jump City**, in honor of his bravery (*see 'A jump for a city'). It was then that he decided that he was meant to stay a hero. But he would need to train even harder, he would have to push himself beyond his limits and then push himself further. He would use the money from his parents that Lucius invested, to supply himself with the equipment he needed. And who better to supply him with it, than the same man that Batman gets his equipment from. Lucius Fox himself. And after talking with Superman, Dick was now okay with asking Cyborg for help in upgrading his tech.

But he didn't yet trust himself to be out in the field, much less leading a team. The Teen Titans were reformed by Raven, and the first person that came to mind when thinking of who should lead, was a no-brainer. Dick was the leader of the original Titans, and he was good. But when they approached Dick, he gave them a flat

"_No."_

"_But dude, why not? You were a great leader," said Kid Flash._

"_I'm not ready," Dick countered._

"_D- Robin, we wouldn't have even gotten the funding for this tower if it wasn't for you. They renamed the city because of what you did for them! This is __your__ city!" Wonder Girl put in._

"_No. It's not. And I'm not Robin anymore. My successor is. Look, guys, I just need some time to improve and get stronger. I'm not ready to get back into the field just yet. And when I do, it won't be in this city. Jump is under your protection, I have another troubled city in mind, one that I know I can do some good in. But listen, if my input really means that much to you... then, I nominate Kid Flash to be your leader."_

"_What! Me! Why ME?!" Kid flash was stunned._

"_Because, I know you can do it. And don't worry; you have Donna here to pull your ass out of the fire when things get too hot for ya'." Dick half joked._

_He then reached into his pocket and pulled out one of his new gloves. He configured with some of the controls and put it back in his pocket. After which, he pushed a button on an earpiece that the others hadn't noticed he had on._

"_But don't worry, we'll be touch," as he said this, everyone else's '__**Titan communicators**__' flashed twice._

"_When there's trouble, you know who to call."_

"_And just Who will we be calling exactly?" Donna quesioned._

"_Easy, call me-_

That was weeks ago, he was now cleaning up the streets of Blüdhaven, and little by little things were starting to get better.

He jumped down the edge of the building and landed on the fire escape. He then leapt from that and did a spin in the air before landing gracefully behind the mugger. Startled the man froze in fear, Dick just smirked at how easy it was going be to take him down. The mugger quickly got over his initial shock and began to swipe wildly with the switchblade he had been using on the man. But his attacks were dodged with ease. Dick then felt he had been toying with the mugger long enough and had kicked him in the face while doing a backflip. He landed on his hands and sprang back to his previous spot back on his feet. He walked over to the perp. and kicked the knife away.

The man who was being mugged just stared on in disbelief, as Dick walked away from the crime-scene, the mugger left unconscious.

"Call the police, let them know what happened." Dick said as he headed back to his apartment.

"Wait!" the man called out.

Dick stopped and looked over his shoulder toward the man.

"...Th- Thank-you."

'_Huh, I actually got thanked for what I'm doing. Maybe there's hope for both me and this city yet.'_ Dick thought.

The mugger began to stir and slowly awoke, but was still too hurt to move.

"You should get outta here." Dick said to the man.

The man then asked the question that was on both his and the muggers mind, "Who Are you?"

Dick pulled out his grapnel and shot off a line to the top of the complex. Before he zipped up to the rooftop, and began his search for another crime for him to stop. He spoke one word:

"**Nightwing**."


	4. Ch4 Things Change

**AN: This is the last chapter, if you made it this far thank-you for taking the time, even if it was due to mild-interest or the need to see things through.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned a single part of DC Comics, I would've fought tooth and nail to keep the Bat-Family intact.**

Ch.4 Things Change

**|GOTHAM CITY, NEW YORK**

**|August 20, 19:50 ****UTC**** | 2011**

He hadn't been back here in months. A lot seems to have changed. It would seem that Gotham has moved on without him.

Dick stood atop the rooftop of the GCPD building, waiting by the door for who he knew would be crashing through in a matter of seconds. And only a few short seconds later a tall man with dark-red hair and a bushy mustache wearing a thick brown trench coat, rushed out onto the roof pistol in hand. He aimed his gun around looking for whoever turned on the searchlight.

"Still cautious as ever Commissioner."

Startled, the man quickly turned around and aimed his gun at the source of the voice: a thin muscular man wearing a black suit with a blue bird on the chest.

"Freeze! You've got some explaining to do dirtbag!" yelled Jim.

"Wow, really? You really don't recognize me? I mean, not that it's a bad thing, heck if anyone could tell who I was then, _what would be the point of wearing the mask_." Nightwing smirked as he spoke, the end of his sentence having been spoken in a lighter tone. A subtle hint as to who he with what he said. In his early days as Robin, he had quipped at Jim in the same way when asked who he was. He hoped that Jim would catch it.

He did. What kind of detective would he be if he didn't? But just because he saw the connections, didn't mean he believed it. This was Gotham.

'_How could Robin, the Boy wonder, turn into this? He's so much different, yet still very familiar. He still makes jokes, but the humor just doesn't quite reach his eyes. Or rather, the area around them; where the mask doesn't reach. He's grown. He looks so much more like Him.' Jim thought._

"I know what you're thinking. But don't worry, I'm nothing like Batman. And I'm no longer in his shadow either. I'm my own man now."

"You talk big. But how do I know you're the real deal?" Jim questioned.

Dick knew he wouldn't just take his word for it, that's why he brought a little incentive. He reached into his right gauntlet and threw something at the commissioner.

Jim caught it with his left hand, his right still firmly grasping his gun. He looked at him for a while before finally looking down at his hand. As he examined the object thrown to him, Nightwing shut off the **'Bat Signal'** via the switch hidden under a panel by the door.

After looking at what was in his hand Jim quickly lowered his weapon. Dick walked over to his old friend and stopped a few feet in front of him. Jim held an old badge in his hand, one that he himself had had made in secret. It was an older model of the current '**Gotham City Police Department'** badge. It was engraved with a name he knew all too well: _Robin_.

"You said that if I ever needed your help, all I had to do was ask."

"Heh, you've grown up kid. Can't really call you kid anymore. So what should I call you?" Jim asked as he handed the old badge back to its owner.

"I go by Nightwing these days."

"Nightwing."

"I could really use your help with the other cops Jim.

"You want me to make another badge?"

"Put in a good word, let'em know that we're on the same side."

"I'll see what I can do. But you know that they'll only trust you so much. You'll have to re-earn their full trust all over again. Which really wasn't much to begin with to be honest. I take it you don't want the fact that there's a new kid in your old tights to be public knowledge."

"You're not commissioner for nothing."

He had to ask.

"So what happened kid?"

Dick knew it was coming, but he also knew he didn't have much time till the '**Dynamic Duo'** showed up.

"That's a story for another time. And what happened to not calling me kid?"

"Heh heh, sorry force of habit." Jim chuckled.

"Yeah well don't get used to this mug being around all the time anymore. This isn't my city."

"Where will you go?"

"I'm over in Blüdhaven, heard the BPD is having a tough time."

"Che, if that isn't an understatement."

"I won't even ask for your help with them. But some advice would be nice."

"I would never have given you that badge if I hadn't truly believed that you could truly represent what it stood for, to do some good for these people. While at the time I did see a kid, I also saw potential. Try doing what you do with a different symbol on your chest; from a different perspective.

Nightwing pondered what he had just been told very deeply and had come to a conclusion. "You and I have different prescriptions, seeing the world through your eyes could cause some strains… but I've lived through the opposite, so I can try things on this end. Though I suggest you practice more of what you're preaching, and give the new Robin a chance. I'm no longer a kid, I really haven't been since I turned eight, but him… he had to grow up even faster. He is my successor, my equal in everything but age and experience."

"You have no idea just how similar the two of you are." Jim mumbled.

Nightwing gave a quizzical look, _'Jim hadn't met him yet, had he?'_

He then handed over an ear-piece communicator similar to the one he wore. After, he walked over to the edge of the roof brought one leg up onto the broken railing. He looked back and gave him a small salute.

"If you ever need my help here, I'm just a quick call away."

"We'll keep in touch."

Nightwing gave a small nod and jumped over the edge.

Jim heard a light tap behind him, and already knew who it was.

"He's grown."

None of them move.

"I don't know about you, but I sure as hell am proud of him."

Jim turns to face the new occupants of the rooftop. He knows them all too well.

'**Batman and Robin'**!

"You've got some big shoes ta fill kid. You up for it?" **Commissioner James Gordon** asked the new '**Boy Wonder'**.

The said boy replied with a very smug look on his face, "Please, I'm gonna run circles around that punk," He said this seemingly full of spite yet held a playful smile on his face.

"Is that so? What do You think?"

For a while he didn't say anything, just deepened his scowl and, "What do you have for us Gordon?" the '**Dark Knight'** demanded more than asked.

Jim let out a disgruntled sigh before informing them on the city's current situation. As it was, he was just about to call for them when he realized the "signal" had already been switched on.

"The **Riddler**'s out, we believe he's planning on stealing paintings from the art exhibit at the museum, his 'hints' guided us to that conclusion."

Robin answered with an, "We got this!" and the two were off.

Jim Gordon was then left on the rooftop of the GCPD. He holstered his weapon, pocketed his new communicator, and pulled out a cigarette and his lighter. He took one last look out at where the sun had set and turned toward the museum he'd have to show up at to keep up appearances.

He uttered under his breath "Business as usual," as he took a drag.

**END**

(1) – 'Deep Freezer' is a name and machine I created for this particular story, any relation to any real-life or real-fictional creations is currently unknown by me.

(2) – 'Gotham Gazette' is the name of both a real and fictional publishing company, I own neither.

(3) – Garth doesn't have a 'civilian-name' (as far as I know) so I gave him one. I do not own it; I got the last name from the video game '**Psychonauts'** all rights belong to its creators. And Gary was just close-enough to Garth.

(4) – 'New York Downtown Hospital' is a real hospital in Manhattan. I do not own it, or its rights.

(5) – I do not own 'Jack Daniels' brand whiskey. Nor do I encourage or enforce the consumption of alcohol, or under-age drinking for that matter. (Though I personally don't care for a drinking-age (even as a non-regular drinker myself) though that's a whole other argument altogether).

Each of these titles were used for entertainment/educational purposes as stated above in the disclaimer.

**AN: Thank-You for reading my story, review or PM me and let me know what you think.**


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